Recent hypotheses suppose that dry lichens emit a faint chlorophyll a fluorescence because of a “long-wavelength quencher” embedded in the antenna complex that protects photosystem II (PSII) from photodamage. To verify in the field the PSII re-activation promptness induced by water availability, chlorophyll a fluorescence was measured on the epiphytic lichen Flavoparmelia soredians after two months without rainfall events in a Mediterranean cork oak wood (Bosco Santo Pietro, Sicily, Italy). Measurements were carried out at dawn and sunset on north- and south-exposed populations under different regimes of hydration and dark-adaptation. The results show that prolonged hydration increases the photochemical conveying of energy to PSII and decreases the non-photochemical energy dissipation that otherwise might occur in the antenna complex of the lichen photobionts. A slight decrease in PSII efficiency caused by photoinhibition was observed in thalli exposed to ambient light (up to 600 µmol photons m-2 s-1) only when kept fully hydrated. The results are discussed on the basis of our knowledge on the ecology of the species, that is a representative component of Mediterranean epiphytic lichen communities.
Titolo: | Effects of Mediterranean summer conditions on chlorophyll a fluorescence emission in the epiphytic lichen Flavoparmelia soredians: a field study. |
Autori: | |
Data di pubblicazione: | 2012 |
Rivista: | |
Abstract: | Recent hypotheses suppose that dry lichens emit a faint chlorophyll a fluorescence because of a “long-wavelength quencher” embedded in the antenna complex that protects photosystem II (PSII) from photodamage. To verify in the field the PSII re-activation promptness induced by water availability, chlorophyll a fluorescence was measured on the epiphytic lichen Flavoparmelia soredians after two months without rainfall events in a Mediterranean cork oak wood (Bosco Santo Pietro, Sicily, Italy). Measurements were carried out at dawn and sunset on north- and south-exposed populations under different regimes of hydration and dark-adaptation. The results show that prolonged hydration increases the photochemical conveying of energy to PSII and decreases the non-photochemical energy dissipation that otherwise might occur in the antenna complex of the lichen photobionts. A slight decrease in PSII efficiency caused by photoinhibition was observed in thalli exposed to ambient light (up to 600 µmol photons m-2 s-1) only when kept fully hydrated. The results are discussed on the basis of our knowledge on the ecology of the species, that is a representative component of Mediterranean epiphytic lichen communities. |
Handle: | http://hdl.handle.net/11368/2635187 |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI): | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/11263504.2012.727881 |
Appare nelle tipologie: | 1.1 Articolo in Rivista |